China creates 50 bln tonnes of rain annually

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China creates 50 bln tonnes of rain annually

(Xinhua) 18:24, October 21, 2013

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A report submitted to China's top legislature on Monday said the country creates about 50 billion tonnes of artificial rain each year, but extra efforts are needed during natural disasters.

The report on the implementation of China's meteorological law, was submitted to the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which runs from Monday to Friday.

The report said a total of 2,266 counties in the country use weather modification, with artificial rain used across an area covering 5 million square kilometers, about half of China's land area.

The State Council, or the cabinet, has actively promoted a system of artificial weather, which has operated on a large-scale, coordinated and regular way, the report said.

In the meantime, the country has established a geosynchronous satellite and sun-synchronous satellite system to monitor weather. A total of seven meteorological satellites are in orbit, five of them operating normally.

However, present meteorological systems do not meet the demands for disaster prevention and relief, especially in grassroots and rural areas, added the report.

Due to the huge land area and complex climate and geological environment, China suffers from meteorological disasters, such as drought. In addition, global climate change has led to more extreme weather and natural disasters.

The report urged related departments to increase the accuracy of weather forecasts, and improve the administrative organization when it comes to artificial weather and disaster prevention.

The report suggested that legislation on meteorological disaster prevention be initiated as early as possible, to better serve society.

（Editor：DuMingming、Chen Lidan）